> I am a first time builder and am wondering; will I be ok using strips that
> aren't cove and bead? also, I am having a tough time finding any 20' cedar
> boards. Any suggestions? Butch

If you can get 10 or 12 foot cedar boards, rip a few into planks that are 2-1/2 to 4 inches wide, and use a long, tapering joint, called a scarf (or scarph) joint to combne them so that you get a long, skinny board. To make the joint, lay out an angle that is at least 6 to 12 times longer than the board is wide. So, with a 3 inch wide board, the taper would be 18 to 36 inches long. I'd probably go with a 24 inch long taper. Cut a matching taper on two pieces of wood, and glue and clamp them together. When the glue sets these can be ripped into the 1/4 inch strips you want for building. That long glue joint provides a lot of strength. If you start with a 12 foot 1x6 you end up with roughly a 22 foot 1x3. From that you should get 5 or 6 strips.

You can scarph a narrow 10 foot board onto a narrow 12 footer to get 20 foot lengths. Start with 1x6 or 1x8 stock and rip it in half first, then use the tapering scarph joint to join these narrower pieces to get the length you wish.

Some people like to rip their strips first and then scarph the 1/4 inch strips into longer lengths. I tried that first and found it was a mess to align those skinny pieces. I figured that working with the anrrower strips did not save me anything, as one missaligned scarf would mess up two strips, and cost me as much as what I would lose from the big triangles I cut from the wider boards. If I scarphed te 1/4 inch strips I either needed many more clamps, or I would take more time (just do two a day) or I would try to get several scarph joints done at once by separating them with waxed paper. The latter course gave me more mistakes than good pieces, as it was difficult to apply even pressure with the clamps.

You only need 5 to 10 of these long strips to get things started. That is only two 1x6s and two scarph joints. After that it is really easy to work with shorter strips. Just be sure to stagger the seams. If you use bead and cove strips you can end one strip and start another at almost any point. Those grooves help keep the ends aligned. With square edged strips it is easier to make the joints at any of the frames. You can staple or clamp the ends of each strip to the frame and the frame will support the joint until the glue dries.

Hint: For neater joints, cut off about an inch of wood from the ends of your strips. The ends of the wood, as it comes from the lumber yard are frequently a bit different in color and may be somewhat weathered.

Hope this helps.

Paul G. Jacobson